Dominic Waghorn

Diplomatic editor

It may sound naive, but some in Washington had hoped the political firestorm that's engulfed this city for at least a week might die down, with President Trump safely installed on a plane and headed for the Middle East.

Fat chance.

After one of the most extraordinary weeks anyone can remember in American politics, there was the hope the dust might settle after Air Force One soared into the skies over the Atlantic.

Mr Trump is also said to have claimed that firing James Comey relieved "great pressure" on him.

It is an extraordinary claim - and strikingly, the White House is not denying he said those words, just the reasons he uttered them. But many will find officials' explanation for them little short of risible.

The New York Times dropped the exclusive story moments after Air Force One began its flight - and at around the same time, the Washington Post posted another.

The President is known not to enjoy travelling outside the United States. One can only imagine the mood aboard Air Force One as these latest bombshells emerged shortly after take-off.

Coverage of the trip is now likely to be dominated by the claim the President denigrated one of the highest officials in the land in a meeting with officials from a foreign power alleged to have interfered with America's cherished democratic process.